Xerophyte

Habit

It is a geophyte plant that produces a small star-shaped rosette of fleshy tubercles.

Roots

Each plant has a large turnip-like taproot, which lies below the soil surface and serves for water storage.

Tubercles

Dark olive-green, adpressed in young individuals, ascending or divergent, triangular to lance shaped in outline, acute at the apexes, deltate in cross section, not incurved, flattened adaxially, but becoming conspicuously concave at maturity, irregularly papillose at apex, sometimes with the papillae forming one or two lateral furrows, usually 2-3 times as long as wide. (to 3-7cm long and 2 cm wide basally), and with the edges sharply acute.

Flowers

These plants have a woolly crown, from which emerge bright pink-violet flowers up to 5 cm in diameter, 2 times wider than long when fully expanded. Flowers last for 3 to 4 days.

Blooming Season

October, November.

Spines

It have no spines.

Stem

Subglobose, flattened on top, 3-6 cm high, rising barely above ground level, that grows extremely slowly, to7-10 (or more) cm in diameter. The stem is usually solitary, rarely giving rise to side shoots from old areoles.

Fruits

Not seen.

Areoles

Confined to middle of adaxial tubercle faces instead of extending to tips, rounded to more or less elliptic, 2-5mm diam, woolly.